The History of the Pony Car

January 27, 2012

The history of the pony car dates back to the 1960s in
America, and is synonymous with the emergence of the Ford Mustang in
the mid-1960s. By definition, a true pony car is a sport coupe, compact
relative to the muscle car, with a top of the line performance engine
under the hood. In the years leading up to the debut of the pony car
type, market research done by automakers showed that target consumers
wanted smaller, more agile and sporty looking vehicles with high
performance to match the athleticism in design. The Ford Thunderbird
answered some of the demand, with its use of bucket seats and compact
sport-coupe styling. Chevrolet, in turn, trumped Ford's innovations
with the introduction of the Chevrolet Corvair. To an extent, both
quenched the consumer thirst for sport luxury. However, there was still
a niche to be filled. One that fit with the culture of the times that
spoke tough, drove fast and cost less. Enter the classic pony cars of
the 1960s.

Early Pony Car Models

Among the first on the scene were the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge
Challenger and the AMC Javelin along with the Ford Mustang. Even though
the term pony car has ties to the Ford Mustang by virtue of its name,
the first pony car to arrive in the marketplace was the Plymouth Barracuda.
Coming to the showroom floor two weeks before consumers could buy the
Mustang. Taking its cues from the auto maker's Valiant model, the
Barracuda incorporated its compact design with a sporty, sleek fastback
look. Because the focus was on design and versatility rather
than engine performance, it was overshadowed by the Ford Mustang in the
marketplace and its reputation suffered.

The Ford Mustang, on the other hand, heavily rivaled by the Chevy
Camaro, enjoyed massive popularity throughout the 60s, leading up to
the early 1970s. The design of these iconic types shared the
characteristic silhouettes, long front, wide "open mouth" look to the
front grille, coupled with a short, almost "chopped off" abrupt look to
the rear. But the highlight of these cars lay beneath the hood. In
general, these models came equipped with at least a six-cylinder or V8
high performance engine.

Decline and Revival

Performance demands required larger, heavier engines, and the models
began to drift away from their earlier nimbleness. Successful models
sustained popularity with drag racing and road racing audiences, but
largely fell out of favor to the typical American consumer. Smaller,
lighter economy cars were introduced into the market, and the 1973 oil
embargo caused shoppers to look at less expensive, economy cars than
those using less fuel.

Today, there has been a revival of the pony car. Starting with the
re-introduction and widespread popularity of the Ford Mustang 2005
model, based on the classic design of the 1960's. Competitor auto
manufacturers have also paid homage to their pony car models, bringing
back the Dodge Challenger and the Chevrolet Camaro, which have
succeeded in a fuel-economy conscious market due to smart engineering
and design. NASCAR highlights this resurgence of the pony car, with the
Ford Mustang and the Dodge Challenger racing in the 2010 season.